U.S. Pat. No. 4,865,324 to Nesis shows a magnetic spin puzzle generally of the type which is the subject of the present invention. The spin puzzle in Nesis comprises a series of donut-shaped puzzle elements, with a magnetic member contained therein. Numbers or letters are arranged on the peripheral face of each puzzle element. Each of the puzzle elements are rotatable relative to each other by the cooperation between protuberances located on one face of an element with spaced cavities on an opposing face of an adjacent element, the cavities typically being situated in a circular groove in the same opposing face of the element. The puzzle elements are held together by magnetic attraction, while the axial alignment and rotary indexing of the elements are both accomplished by the protuberance/cavity arrangement, i.e. both axial alignment and rotary indexing are accomplished by the same physical structure on the puzzle elements.
In certain cases, however, it may be important to maintain a more positive axial alignment of the magnetic puzzle elements which is independent of the rotary indexing structure, while at the same time the magnetic capability maintains an attraction of adjacent elements.